According to news on January 13, due to the extreme cold weather, the heat pump system of some Tesla electric vehicles recently failed seriously, and Tesla owners suffered from severe cold during driving. Last year, the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y electric cars had a malfunctioning heat pump, which Tesla later claimed to have solved with a remote over-the-air update, but it has made a comeback this winter.
Temperatures are currently at record lows in Canada and the northern U.S., with temperatures even below minus 30 degrees Celsius in some areas. Many Tesla electric car owners report the same problems with their heating systems as they did last year. Again, it appears that only Tesla Model 3 and Model Y models with heat pump systems suffer from this problem.
It is well known that heat pump systems do not work well in extremely cold environments (below about minus 15 degrees Celsius). Tesla claims to have solved this problem with a dual-cycle system, but there appear to be other issues.
But several Tesla owners said the system sounded an alarm and there was no heat in the car at all. This has the potential to create a potentially dangerous situation during cold winter months. Because some Tesla owners may be stuck in remote areas with extremely cold temperatures and no heating.
After the problem, several Tesla owners who drove their cars to a Tesla service center were told that Tesla had identified the problem and was working on a software fix. Jimmy Yeung from Toronto, Canada found the same problem with his Model Y. The Tesla service center replaced the “eight-way valve” components of the onboard air conditioning compressor and heat pump system.
Jimmy Yeung shared on Facebook the bill for repairing Tesla cars out of his own pocket. If the Tesla car is out of warranty, the bill shows, it will cost the owner more than $4,000. Tesla also told several Model 3 and Model Y owners who had problems with the heat pump that the problem could be as simple as ice blocking the front air intake near the windshield, causing an error in the heat pump system sensor.
The company recommends using the preheat function to thaw or manually clear the air intake. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously called the heat pump system in the Model 3 and Model Y electric cars one of the best examples of engineering he’s seen in a while. If their Model 3 or Model Y electric vehicle has a heat pump system installed, Tesla owners should take this into account when taking long road trips in cold regions, where the absence of heating poses a real danger.
Tesla had better find a fundamental solution soon, after all, it is too expensive for out-of-pocket vehicles to replace parts out of their own pockets. Of course, people don’t have to take a negative attitude towards electric vehicles. The Tesla cars in question don’t heat, but at least they can drive. Many diesel locomotives have starting problems in extremely cold temperatures. Also, the issue is limited to Tesla vehicles with heat pumps. Tesla cars without a heat pump system worked fine.